USA Priests Association asks for clarification of the pope’s “no”

How does the pope’s “No” to women deacons fit with the role of women on the agenda of the October Synod

May 31, 2024 • For immediate release
Priests’ association asks for clarification of the pope’s “no”

Statement of the Leadership of the Association of US Catholic Priests

The Association of US Catholic Priests enthusiastically supports Pope Francis’ call for synodality. With others, we are dedicated to making the pope’s vision a reality. Our collective efforts, spanning a long history, have been focused on improving and enhancing the role of women in the Church. We have sponsored and co-sponsored webinars that have involved affiliated groups such as Discerning Deacons, Future Church, and Voice of the Faithful, reaching thousands of women and men.

Throughout the synodal process, Pope Francis has supported discussions about women deacons.  It is on the agenda for the next synod session in October. Reports from every continent have called for rethinking women’s co-responsibility for leadership. Women as ordained deacons is one possibility frequently raised and on the agenda for the October synodal session in Rome.

AUSCP supports this process and seeks to continue the synodal journey with the Pope. So we are perplexed that Pope Francis, when asked by CBS’ Norah O’Donnell if he is supportive of women deacons, replied “No!” How does the pope see this as consistent with his later statement in the same interview: “You have to be open to everything. You have to!”

Of course, a TV interview does not carry the authority of a formal papal declaration. Restoring women to the diaconate is a question of ecclesiology, not doctrine. There is still no doctrinal statement against women as ordained deacons. So, there is still time for more synodal discussions and considerations on this subject. To embody the spirit of a synodal Church, it is crucial that we consistently implement the synodal process. 

Therefore:

We respectfully ask Pope Francis to clarify his “No.”  

  • Does this statement supersede the synodal process?  
  • Will women as deacons still be on the October agenda?  
  • What are the pastoral and theological reasons for the “No?” 

The Association of US Catholic Priests urgently calls upon individuals and groups to join us in our plea for clarity on Pope Francis’ recent negation of women as deacons. We can only move forward together through open dialogue and understanding.

For comment of more information, contact:
Rev. Stephen P. Newton, CSC, Executive Director
auscpexdir@gmail.com • (312) 882 4228

Similar Posts

The annual assembly of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP)

Blog
0 Comments

The National Catholic Reporter has a story on the annual assembly of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP). It says the conference “heard calls for the church to focus on young Catholics, embrace the pastoral theology of Pope Francis, and affirm the Second Vatican Council’s theological spadework.
In both his opening evening welcome and homily during the June 27 Mass, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, lauded the group, calling it ‘a wonderfully powerful and necessary voice’ and ‘voice of hope and joy.’ “

Appointing, Selecting or Electing bishops; We can do better than this.

Blog
4 Comments

We welcome Brendan Hoban’s return and wish him a speedy return to full health and continuing good health in the future.
Brendan casts his historian’s eye over the current system of appointing bishops and concludes that there was far less secrecy in 1829 than today and that “Now no one at local level really knows by what process an individual bishop is appointed. While there is a process and the scaffolding is clear – consultation at local level, a list of three candidates, discussion among bishops of the province, proposal of Congregation of Bishops (Rome), decision by the Pope, with everything organised by the current Papal Nuncio – the detail is cloaked in secrecy.” This gives rise to the perception “that an inordinate stress on secrecy has allowed individuals exert undue influence in the whole process.”

One Comment

  1. Alan McGill says:

    Perhaps a key issue in the dialogue about the ordination of women as deacons is the question of the development of doctrine. Phylliss Zagano has made the point that the question of historical precedence for the ordination of women as deacons is a different question as to whether women should be eligible to be ordained as deacons in our time. If we believe that the Church is the Mystical Body of the Risen Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, then we should not be afraid of development and should not be shackled to ancient practices that were both enriched and limited by the ancient cultures of their time. As Francis Sullivan SJ argued, the eternal truths to which doctrines point cannot, by definition, change, but doctrinal formulae can and should change in light of new insights, better articulation, or new applications. The situation regarding men with epilepsy and their very belated admission to the priesthood (1983 officially) is a case in point.

    Reply

Join the Discussion

Keep the following in mind when writing a comment

  • Your comment must include your full name, and email. (email will not be published). You may be contacted by email, and it is possible you might be requested to supply your postal address to verify your identity.
  • Be respectful. Do not attack the writer. Take on the idea, not the messenger. Comments containing vulgarities, personalised insults, slanders or accusations shall be deleted.
  • Keep to the point. Deliberate digressions don't aid the discussion.
  • Including multiple links or coding in your comment will increase the chances of it being automati cally marked as spam.
  • Posts that are merely links to other sites or lengthy quotes may not be published.
  • Brevity. Like homilies keep you comments as short as possible; continued repetitions of a point over various threads will not be published.
  • The decision to publish or not publish a comment is made by the site editor. It will not be possible to reply individually to those whose comments are not published.